Pool is hard.
I think starting out pool is even harder than golf. Most people instinctively understand how to pick up a club and whack it at a golf ball. Any kid that has ever held a baseball bat thinks they can hit a golf ball. Watching these same kids try to hit a cue ball for the first time can be scary, especially if it's being done on my table. (Now I'm not comparing the two games once you are past the initial swing or twenty. That would be a conversation for a different thread.)
I think pool can be very intimidating to a lot of people just trying it out for the first time. There is really nothing natural about bending over a pool table and trying to form a proper bridge and then attempting to strike the cue ball. It's just not a natural thing to do.
Because pool is so hard, it was only inevitable that the evolution of the creation of pool players would change. It is SO MUCH easier for people to be introduced to the game via the bar/league route. Starting out playing pool on a 9 foot table vs. starting out on a bar table is like the difference between starting out playing golf at Augusta vs. whooping it up with your buddies at a local par 3 course. Which one is easier? Which one is more fun?
For years "serious" players have looked down on the different leagues and their players. I was guilty of this myself. So most serious players have stayed away from league play. Therefore, the league operators cater their systems to the less serious players. This is only natural, but as more serious (read decent) players start migrating toward league play, I think we will see more of a catering to the serious players. At least I'm hoping for this. I guess only time will tell.
So get out there – join a league and have some fun.
